FAIRMONT, W.Va. – Fairmont State University has a new chief of campus police.
On Wednesday, Jeff McCormick was sworn in at Fairmont State’s Falcon Center.
“This is a momentous occasion in the life of the university when we’re able to bring in a new police chief and certainly someone of the caliber of Jeff McCormick. Certainly, it is a tribute to the university that we’re able to attract individuals of such caliber,” Dr. Mirita Martin, President of Fairmont State University said.
McCormick has years of experience in local law enforcement and with the FBI. McCormick said he knew he wanted to return to local police after his retirement from the FBI.
He noted that during his 30 years of experience, the profession has changed a lot. He mentioned working through the defund police movement and said he’s seen how the public has lost confidence in law enforcement. He noted his father’s service in the military and the love of his country as two reasons he continued to serve as a police officer during these times.
“It’s a privilege for people to live here (in the United States), and they need to be able to be safe and secure in their lives and their homes and to be a part of the profession that ensures that security. There’s no better feeling,” McCormick said.
Along with his new role as chief, he will also be developing the university’s new police academy.
“I think it’s important now more than ever that we train people while they’re at the academy so that by the time that they come out, they’re prepared for the realities of law enforcement, and they’re prepared for the realities of our current world, and they’re armed with new techniques and procedures so that they can help establish a better bond with the local community and get that trust back that the community should have for their law enforcement professionals,” McCormick said.
The new police academy at Fairmont State will begin in January. McCormick said he’s eager to find instructors and students to join the program.